Anne Sebba

Most conventional World War Two military histories focus on weapons, materiel and even the manpower needed for a decisive victory over Hitler and the Axis powers. Little has been written about blood as a strategic resource. However, a pioneering service of specially trained medics who worked dangerously close to the front lines, pumping blood into the veins of battle casualties, not only saved lives but contributed significantly to winning the war. They did this by returning men to the front line and boosting morale by persuading them that, if wounded, they had the maximum chance of life. The field transfusion units, FTUs, were not replacements for surgical units – in many cases they prepared the wounded for surgery which might otherwise not have been possible – nor for the new drugs, especially penicillin, which became available toward the end of the war. But according to postwar estimates, one in ten wounded British soldiers who survived had been transfused. ✍️: @annesebba Article | spectator.com/article/there-…